We met about six years ago, and once I discovered his
allegiance, I just never thought it could work. I’m a die-hard Ravens fan, he’s
a die-hard Steelers fan. Match not
made in heaven, right? Think again. You’d be surprised how powerful chemistry
is. We remained friends for a few years after we met, and it wasn’t until
September 2008 when we started spending time together more frequently. Ironically, we had
the “great” idea to watch that Ravens-Steelers Monday Night Football game that
went into overtime. Joe Flacco's first time against the Steelers, in their house. If you need a refresher, the Ravens did not win that one,
and it was decided only by a Jeff Reed (cringe) field goal.
As much as I wanted to say “nevermore,” I couldn’t. Outside
of our football teams, we seemed to have so much in common and got along so
well. He knows so much about the sport and taught me some of the rules I didn’t
already know, and we do at least have the same college football team (go
Terps)!
But does this mean it’s easy? Absolutely not! Though we
watch nearly every other game together during the season, there are two
(sometimes three) weekends in the fall that are off-limits. Fortunately, I do
my best to go to every Ravens-Steelers game in Baltimore, so that solves one problem.
However, the game in Pittsburgh always presents a challenge.
We’re such crazy fans that we realize we cannot be in the same room to watch
that game. Last season, our friends invited us over to watch. Crazy, right?
Well luckily, these friends have two rooms, so the gal and I watched it in one
room, while my boyfriend and the guy watched it in the other. I really couldn’t
hold it in when Torrey Smith caught that game-winning touchdown, and pretty
much had to hide my big grin on the way home, but hey, I had to sit through the
Steelers beating us in the playoffs the year before (and 2008), so I think my happiness
was merited!
Still think I’m crazy? Yeah, I suppose I am. Sometimes, I
wish the boy could come up to M&T with me on Sunday mornings – a ritual my
dad, brother, and I partake in nearly every home game. Going to Ravens games is
one of my favorite activities, and of course, I’d love to share that with the
man I love. If you’re wondering, we haven’t been able to stomach the idea of
attending a game together, so no, that hasn’t happened (yet?). The perk about
not having him at games with me is that I get more father-daughter bonding
time; my dad, after all, is who got me into the Ravens.
So after nearly four years together, we’re still going
strong. We also haven’t faced each other yet this season, and don’t until
November. We’ll have to brace ourselves though, because the crazy schedulers
decided it’d be a fun joke to have the two teams meet twice in two weeks. That’ll sure lead to some tension! But I
have to admit, it’s a fun tension. Just ask long as, you know, we sweep them
again this year!
Ravens fan for life who never lets the boyfriend listen to
“Black and Yellow,”
Lauren
